Barnes & Noble takes on Amazon and Apple with new Android tablet

Ahead of its UK launch, eBook retailer Barnes & Noble has unveiled a new tablet device which will go on sale next month.

Available in 7” (NOOK HD) and 9” (NOOK HD+) models, the device runs a modified version of Android Ice Cream Sandwich, allows multiple users to set up custom profiles and offers access to more than 2.5 million books, a wide choice of magazines and apps.

It will also support a new NOOK Video service which will launch later this year, as well as staple tablet functions such as email and web browsing.

Both versions will be available for pre-order in late October through Barnes & Noble’s UK retail partners and at www.NOOK.co.uk.

The HD weighs 315 grams and measures 127 mm wide, and is more than 20 percent lighter and one centimetre narrower than Kindle Fire HD.

Available in two colours – Snow and Smoke – the HD will retail for £159 for a 8GB model and £189 for a 16GB version.

The 9” NOOK HD+ offers a resolution of 1920 x 1280 and 256 pixels per inch for up to 1080p video content, and is said to be 20 percent lighter than the iPad, at 515 grams.

It includes a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM and is available in a 16GB model for £229 and a 32GB version for £269.

“With the combination of the highest resolution screen, lightest weight and expansive access to content rendered in a digital quality never before seen, NOOK HD is the world’s best 7-inch media tablet,” said William J. Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble.

“We designed our larger format tablet NOOK HD+, because we think there’s big demand from customers for a super-light, extremely high quality 9-inch tablet, at half the price of the iPad. Both our 7-inch NOOK HD and 9-inch NOOK HD+ deliver an exceptional customer experience and we enthusiastically encourage customers to go to nook.com and learn more about them,” said William J. Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble.